Every so often I talk with a chiropractor who's panicking about the competition. Maybe a new chiropractor opened up down the road, a new clinic moved into town, or the busiest chiropractor in the area is cutting corners or doing things that are less than honest. All of that can be true and frustrating. But obsessing over it won't grow your chiropractic practice, and it might actually be making things worse.

This is a short episode, more of a mental reset for chiropractors who are struggling with the environment they're practicing in. It came from a client of mine who has high integrity, is really good at the craft, and has become consumed by what the other chiropractors in town are doing. I get it. But when you focus on your opponent instead of your own practice, you lose twice: you stop improving, and you drain the emotional energy you need to attract patients.

I talk about the famous Michael Phelps photo where the swimmer next to him is looking over at Phelps instead of the finish line, and why that's such a good picture of what competition-focused thinking does to a chiropractor. I also share my own hardest year in practice. It was my ninth year, I had the marketing knowledge and the momentum, and the practice still struggled because of what I was going through personally. When you're carrying that kind of emotional weight, people can feel it, and it pushes them away.

The better path is figuring out why patients would choose you over every other chiropractor in your area. If you don't have a superpower, people will choose you because you're close, cheap, or both. I cover how to find the overlap of opportunity, interest, and talent in your chiropractic marketing, why the busy chiropractor down the road might simply be riding momentum, and what my two year old has taught me about failure and growth.

Give people a reason to come to you, and stop worrying about why they shouldn't go to someone else.

Topics Covered:

• Why chiropractors panic about competition, new clinics, and dishonest competitors
• How obsessing over other chiropractors drains your energy and your practice
• Why would patients choose you over another chiropractor in your area?
• Finding your superpower so you're not competing only on price and convenience
• The Michael Phelps photo and focusing on the finish line instead of your opponent
• My hardest year in practice and how emotional strain affects patient attraction
• Choosing chiropractic marketing methods that fit your strengths and interests
• How momentum helps established chiropractors and why new practices don't have it yet
• Failure, growth, and why it's impossible to improve without struggling
• Giving patients a reason to choose your chiropractic practice

Call to Action:
Want me to take a look at your chiropractic website and local SEO? Request a free Website and SEO Review at RocketChiro.com, no pressure. If you're a new chiropractor getting started, or you've been in practice a while and feel stuck, check out my NEXT Step coaching program at RocketChiro.com.

If you've been a chiropractor for longer than two days, someone has tried to sell you something. I've been on both sides of that. I spent nine years in practice buying coaching, services, and products, and in all that time, not one person ever told me I was a bad fit. Looking back, that bothers me.

In this episode, I walk through five signs that a chiropractic coach, marketing company, or service provider may be more interested in closing you than helping you. I'm not naming names, and I'm not saying a bad result means you got scammed. You can do everything right and still end up with a disappointing outcome. But the more of these signs that show up while you're deciding, the more it makes sense to slow down.

I share the story of the first coaching program I signed up for, with no research of my own, taught by someone who specialized in pediatrics when I never wanted to be a pediatric chiropractor. I also explain why a brand new chiropractor in a competitive market shouldn't be paying $1,500 to $2,000 a month for SEO, what to do with that money instead, and the one question I'd ask any company before paying them: how would I be a bad fit?

If you're happy with the companies you work with, stick with them. This episode is for the chiropractor who is frustrated, especially if what was promised at the start doesn't match what happened after.

Topics Covered:

• Why no one telling me I was a bad fit in nine years of practice is a red flag
• Why a bad outcome doesn't automatically mean you were scammed
• Sign 1: Promising outcomes they can't control
• Sign 2: Not investigating your situation, including your finances
• Why new chiropractors in competitive markets should skip expensive SEO and build the foundation first
• Sign 3: They've never told anyone no
• Sign 4: Unnecessary urgency or pressure
• Sign 5: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
• Why boring, consistent habits beat shortcuts

Call to Action:
If you'd like me to look at your website and SEO with no obligation and no pressure, request a free website and SEO review at RocketChiro.com. If you want to go beyond the podcast, check out my NEXT Step program, also at RocketChiro.com.

During my nine years as a practicing chiropractor, my approach to the new patient consultation changed a lot. When I first started, I flew by the seat of my pants, which I don't recommend. Then I got into practice management and started using scripts that never felt natural. Eventually I settled on a simple structure built around three questions I asked every new patient.

In this episode I focus on the second question: "What are you hoping to achieve from your time here?" It sounds simple, but the answer gives you the information you need for one of the hardest parts of being a chiropractor, which is managing people.

I walk through four reasons this question matters. It defines what a win looks like, so you don't help a patient with 99 things and miss the one thing they actually came in for. It gets you and your patient on the same page, which cuts down on the unspoken expectations that cause so much frustration in practice. It becomes the foundation for your report of findings, so you're connecting the dots between your exam and their goal instead of handing them a puzzle to put together. And it becomes the foundation for patient education and ongoing care, so recommendations for stability or wellness care are tied to something the patient actually cares about rather than a vague idea of being "proactive."

I also share my own story of first going to a chiropractor for headaches, not back pain, and why I would have said chiropractic didn't work if only my back had improved. Then I explain why scripted consultations fall short. When you already have your next line planned, the patient's answer doesn't matter, and that's not how you build a long-term relationship with a patient.

If you're frustrated with how patients follow through with care, or you feel like you're always on a different page than your patients, this question is a good place to start.

Topics Covered:

• How my chiropractic consultation approach evolved over nine years in practice
• Why chiropractic consultation scripts often feel unnatural
• The question I asked every new patient: "What are you hoping to achieve from your time here?"
• Defining what a win looks like for each chiropractic patient
• Why patients say chiropractic didn't work when you miss their primary concern
• Getting on the same page with patients and setting realistic expectations
• Using the patient's goal as the foundation for your report of findings
• "Don't give people puzzles": closing the knowledge gap in patient education
• Why you should never make connections that aren't there
• Explaining stability care and ongoing chiropractic care in terms patients care about
• My own story of going to a chiropractor for headaches
• Why scripted consults hurt patient relationships and care follow-through

Call to Action:
Want me to take a look at your chiropractic website and local SEO? Request a free Website and SEO Review at RocketChiro.com. If you're a new chiropractor getting started, or you've been in practice a while and feel stuck or overwhelmed by the business side, check out my NEXT Step coaching program at RocketChiro.com.

If you pay a chiropractic website company to manage your website, you're probably hoping they're getting everything right. After years of reviewing chiropractic websites for doctors who reach out to me, I keep seeing the same four mistakes over and over again, and most chiropractors have no idea they're happening.

I start with a little backstory. My very first chiropractic website was built by a patient of mine back when chiropractors were still asking whether they even needed a website. That experience pushed me into learning WordPress, building my own sites, and eventually building websites and doing local SEO for other chiropractors. Before getting into the mistakes, I cover the three things every chiropractic website company should be giving you no matter who you hire: less stress, a site that's actually maintained (I think of it like tending a garden, because websites deteriorate when nobody's paying attention), someone who understands chiropractic and your type of practice, and solid foundational SEO.

Then we get into the four mistakes. The first is clutter and lack of direction. A new patient gives your chiropractic website about 20 to 30 seconds before deciding whether to stay, so your homepage needs clear value, context, and a call to action. I use my "dropped in the middle of the woods" analogy to explain why you can't just hope people find the thing you want them to click. The second is generic content, the kind big chiropractic website companies produce by slapping your name and city on the same copy every other client gets. If the patients coming into your practice feel random or aren't the people you most want to help, your website content may be the reason.

The third mistake is unrealistic chiropractic SEO promises. "We handle all your SEO" is one of the most misleading things a website company can say, and I explain why, along with the honest flip side: even good SEO doesn't come with a guarantee. The fourth is delays and being treated like a number, where you get white glove treatment during onboarding and then wait weeks for a simple edit six months later.

None of this means every chiropractic website company is bad, or that I'm the right fit for everyone. But if you're frustrated with your website's return on investment, this episode will help you figure out what's going wrong and what questions to ask.

Topics Covered:

• How my first chiropractic website led me into building websites for chiropractors
• The three things every chiropractic website company should provide: less stress, chiropractic understanding, and foundational SEO
• Why chiropractic websites deteriorate without ongoing maintenance
• Mistake #1: Cluttered chiropractic websites with no clear direction or call to action
• The value, context, and call to action framework for your homepage
• Why "New Patients Start Here" often works better than "Book Now"
• Mistake #2: Generic chiropractic website content that doesn't describe how you actually practice
• How generic content attracts the wrong patients to your chiropractic practice
• Mistake #3: Unrealistic chiropractic SEO and Google ranking promises
• Why "we handle all your SEO" is misleading for a standard website subscription
• What to ask when a company says they're doing your SEO
• Why even legitimate local SEO for chiropractors doesn't come with guarantees
• Mistake #4: Slow responses and being treated like a number after onboarding
• Why I limit how many new chiropractic website clients I onboard each month

Call to Action:
Want me to take a look at your chiropractic website and local SEO? Request a free Website and SEO Review at RocketChiro.com. If you're a new chiropractor getting started, or you've been in practice a while and feel stuck on the business and marketing side, check out my NEXT Step coaching program at RocketChiro.com.

Jerry has a confession to make. Years ago, he looked down on chiropractors with small practices, including his own best friend from chiropractic college, who started a micro practice out of financial necessity. Jerry felt sorry for him. He was wrong, and this episode is his honest attempt to make it right.

This is one of the most personal episodes Jerry has recorded. He walks through the false beliefs he absorbed from practice management culture, that a small practice isn't a real practice, that it can't be profitable, that significance requires scale, and dismantles each one using real stories from his own life. He talks about a wealthy farmer patient whose modest appearance hid real wealth, a friend with a massive practice whose take-home pay was nearly identical to his own once overhead was factored in, and the tombstone exercise a friend once had him do that reshaped how he thinks about legacy entirely.

The episode also includes a deeply personal reflection on Jerry's father, who passed away eleven years ago, and what his father's quiet, high-character life taught him about what significance actually means. It's an emotional, honest, and genuinely encouraging episode for anyone running or considering a small or micro chiropractic practice, and a challenge to anyone who has internalized the idea that bigger is automatically better.

Free website and local search review: RocketChiro.com
Next Step Membership: Business and marketing training for chiropractors at RocketChiro.com

If you've been on social media for more than two seconds and you own a small business, you've seen it: "Google just changed this," "AI just changed that," "this is a total game changer." Jerry gets pinged about these constantly, from clients and from friends who own small businesses, and 99% of the time, his honest answer is that it's a nothing burger.

In this episode, he breaks down two of the latest ones making the rounds: adding social media platforms to Google Search Console, and becoming a "preferred source" for Google AI. He explains what Search Console actually is, why the ability to connect Instagram and YouTube to it is genuinely useful data, and why it is absolutely not a secret shortcut to ranking on Google. He also shares an actual, untested theory he plans to try himself: treating social media descriptions like mini blog posts rather than throwaway captions.

The second half tackles the "preferred AI source" claim head on. Jerry explains what this feature actually does, individual users selecting trusted sources for their own AI results, why it has nothing to do with a business self-selecting itself as an expert, and why the vast majority of chiropractic websites don't even have the authority required to be eligible in the first place.

He closes with the underlying principle that ties both examples together: none of these tools matter if you don't have real authority behind them. Reviews, credentials, backlinks, social following, and genuine expertise are what Google and AI are actually looking for. Tools and technical settings can help you communicate that authority once it exists. They can't manufacture it.

Topics Covered

• Why "changes" get marketed as "game changers" on social media
• What Google Search Console is and why it's worth being connected to
• The new ability to add Instagram and YouTube as standalone Search Console properties
• What this data actually tells you, and what it does not (it will not make your Instagram outrank your website)
• Jerry's untested theory: treating social captions like mini blog posts to give Google more to work with
• What "becoming a preferred AI source" for Google AI actually means
• Why this is an individual user setting, not a business self-selection tool
• Why most chiropractic websites don't have the authority to even qualify for this
• The YouTube subscribe button analogy explaining how preferred sources actually work
• The core principle underneath both examples: authority is the only thing that actually matters

Need Help?
If you want a free look at your website and local search, request a review at RocketChiro.com. If you want more help with the business and marketing side of practice, check out the Next Step program at RocketChiro.com.

Would you choose you? If you knew everything about your own practice, your skill level, what's happening behind the scenes, all of it, and you compared yourself honestly to the other chiropractors in your area, would you actually pick your own practice?

In this video, Jerry Kennedy of Rocket Chiro breaks down the real factors patients weigh when choosing between chiropractors: pricing and insurance, proximity, popularity, trust and reputation, technique and specialty, simplicity and convenience, association, and vibes. Some of these are largely out of your control. Others are quietly shaping patient decisions every single day, whether you're paying attention to them or not.

Jerry gives a practical breakdown of each factor, including why being the cheapest chiropractor in town never wins, how niching into a specific technique or condition builds a smaller but far more loyal following, and why most chiropractic websites fail what he calls the twenty second test: can a total stranger figure out what you do and how to book with you almost instantly.

The most interesting section covers vibes, the factor most chiropractors dismiss as too soft to matter. Jerry shares two real client stories, one whose entire website was accidentally full of elderly patient photos despite not wanting that demographic, and another whose logo colors read as cartoonish for a mature, well-established practice, to show how branding mismatches happen without anyone noticing until someone points them out.

Best chiropractic websites: https://rocketchiro.com/best-chiropractic-websites
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Free Chiropractic Webiste/SEO Review: https://rocketchiro.com/chiropractic-practice-assessment